AIM Employment Support Program

Are you considering employing someone with Autism?

Together we can create an employment opportunity for a person with Autism.

AIM Employment is a local, not-for-profit program established by the Autism Association of Western Australia to assist people with Autism to find and maintain employment.

It’s a recognised Disability Employment Services (DES) provider, funded by the Australian Government, and is a free service. It assists employers to benefit from the many attributes an employee with Autism has to offer.

To date, we’ve assisted individuals to secure employment in many different roles, including real estate, finance, university research, warehousing, pharmacy and commercial laundries.

We assist independent workers in open employment, which can be anywhere from eight hours per week to full-time.

Individually supported:Initially, intensive support is provided by an AIM Employment team member, followed by regular visits to the workplace to ensure a successful outcome for both the employee and employer.

Group supported:Where an AIM Employment team member is permanently on site to assist both the employee with Autism and employer, where appropriate.

All job seekers are subject to the same human resource procedures of the business for all other staff. For example, a probationary period, attendance and workplace behaviour.

There are two main financial incentives for employers provided through JobAccess, an initiative of the Australian Government:

A wage subsidy:Employers may be eligible for a wage subsidy of up to $1,650 as an incentive to employ job seekers with a disability. This can help cover the costs of wages and training in the first few months of employment.

The Supported Wage System (SWS):Most people with a disability work at productivity levels equivalent to their co-workers and receive a full award wage. However, if a person with a disability is not able to work at the same productivity levels as their co-workers, then you may consider the SWS. An approved assessor will identify a work productivity rate in the form of a percentage of the acceptable standard for that work classification. Employers can only employ people with a disability under this system if the applicable industrial award or instrument contains such provisions; most modern awards do so.

All paperwork involved for both of the above financial incentives will be organised and completed by AIM Employment.

Often before a job placement occurs the job seeker will participate in a work experience trial instead of, or as well as, an interview.

Face-to-face interviews do not always allow for job seekers to demonstrate their skills and strengths effectively. Work experience can provide a better insight into the abilities of the person and ensure a good fit for both job seeker and employer.

Please note, work experience trials are covered by the Autism Association of Western Australia’s insurance policy.

If your workplace is considering employing a person with Autism, we are confident it will be a positive experience for both you and the employee.

Please contact the AIM Employment Program Team at the Autism Association of Western Australia on (08) 9489 8900.

We are a small commercial laundry situated in Bibra Lake. We began employing people with Autism through AIM Employment in 2011 to assist in the laundry. With the support of AIM Employment we now employ five young people as laundry assistants. We are more than pleased with these employees, as they do a great job in the workplace, they are reliable and punctual, and have an eye for detail doing the job quickly and accurately.